GM’s purchasing chief concedes the automaker has needed to mend supplier relations, but he says the push for component and vehicle commonality has resulted in longer-term sourcing, which benefits both sides....More

Ann Arbor’s Mcity test track includes four traffic lights, an underpass, metal bridge deck, gravel roadways and parking spaces that are angled, perpendicular and parallel. Efforts are under way to open a similar but larger facility nearby in Ypsilanti....More

Located on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor, Mcity is a $10 million 32-acre (13-ha) test track with roundabouts, bike lanes, a tree canopy and 4-way intersections to simulate small-town traffic situations.

A Southwest Research scientist says many automakers are just getting started in their research of the dual-fuel RCCI system, and that it will take at least a decade before the technology is ready for production vehicles....More

Automotive engineers gathered recently at Detroit's Cobo Center for SAE 2014 Convergence to map the future of electronics as it enables autonomous vehicles, electric drivetrains, new human-machine interfaces, greater connectivity and faster computing speeds. The conference featured several panel sessions, and 70 companies exhibited on the show floor. IAV also demonstrated its highly automated concept vehicle on Detroit highways.

“The only motive I see is that someone might want to cause damage and chaos. The other possible motive is to cause embarrassment. And right now, that can only be done on a targeted one-to-one basis,” Bryson Bort says....More